More, from our newsroom, on the Russian court's dismissal of Ukrainian pilot Savchenko's request for release from pretrial detention:
A Moscow appeals court has rejected hunger-striking Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko's challenge against an extension of her pretrial detention period, upholding a ruling ordered her held until May 13.
The Moscow City Court issued the decision on February 25.
Savchenko was captured by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in June and taken to Russia in July.
Russia has charged her with involvement in a mortar attack that killed two Russian journalists in the conflict between government forces and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.
In January, Savchenko was additionally charged with illegal border crossing.
Savchenko denies the charges, saying that she was kidnapped on Ukrainian territory and illegally transferred to Russia.
She began a hunger strike on December 13.
Lawyers, relatives, and human rights activists have expressed increasing concern over health.
At the initial custody-extension hearing on February 10, a lawyer voiced concern that Savchenko may not survive until May 13 if she remains behind bars.
Russia has rejected Western calls for her release.
Based on reporting by rapsinews.ru and Interfax
TASS quotes separatists as sayinig that the bodies of four Ukrainian soldiers were retrieved from under the rubble of Donetsk airport, which fell into pro-Russian hands about a month ago after months of fierce battle. "Four [bodies of] servicemen have been retrieved," it quotes the self-styled defense spokesman for the rebel "Donetsk People's Republic," Eduard Basurin, as saying, "It is unclear yet how many of them there will be."
AP noted in its report that the bodies were found by Ukrainian prisoners-of-war in the hands of the pro-Russians.
Interfax and other sources say a grenade explosion at a shop in a Donetsk neighborhood killed one person and wounded two others. Here's video circulating of the scene, apparently soon after the blast.
Interfax flash: PUTIN: IN COMPLIANCE WITH MINSK ACCORDS KYIV MUST GUARANTEE ENERGY SUPPLIES OF DONETSK AND LUHANSK
Reuters flash:
RUSSIA'S PUTIN SAYS KIEV'S REFUSAL TO PROVIDE SEPARATIST REGIONS IN DONETSK AND LUHANSK WITH NATURAL GAS "SMELLS OF GENOCIDE"
From Interfax:
Russia urges the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine to immediately start monitoring the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact in southeastern Ukraine in line with its mandate.
"We expect the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to immediately start performing the functions delegated to it to monitor and verify the withdrawal of heavy weapons by all conflicting parties," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Russia welcomes the Donbas militia's determination to withdraw heavy weapons with the aim of creating a security zone in keeping with the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements," it said.
"It is regrettable that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, quoting the absence of instructions, is not displaying the proper willingness to perform the functions with which it has been invested and is avoiding the monitoring of the implementation of conflicting parties' obligation to withdraw heavy weapons. We note at the same time that the plan for withdrawing heavy weapons was agreed upon within the JCCC [the Joint Center for Control and Coordination] framework and is known to the OSCE Mission," it said.
"It is known that the parties to the Minsk agreements of February 12, 2015 called on the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) to intensify their work, facilitate their implementation, and monitor the withdrawal of heavy weapons," it said.
Via TASS:
Russia hopes extreme measures in gas transit to Europe will be unnecessary, all depends on Kyiv's financial discipline - Putin